Tainted Love

Little Red Riding Hood

Chapter 25

I was mentally exhausted.

I used to think I was a fairly smart person but after playing this so-called game for 7 hours straight, I had convinced myself I was the dumbest person on Earth. And I am so so screwed!

For these next 3 days nobody was going to work or school. I appreciate it Caleb, Ryan and Flynn trying to help me but I was just too stupid or too tired or too small-minded to get it.

We all sat in the loft area upstairs which was just a library with its walls full of books, a long desk and two leather couches that were facing each other. Flynn was leaning against his desk with his arms crossed. He didn't blow up at me which I was expecting. Caleb sat on the couch as I laid on the floor wishing I had a bottle of Tylenol and Ryan satting next to my head. We were all dressed casually ready to pull the mother of all nighters if necessary.

"Let's take it from the top", Flynn said going to sit behind the desk. I heard his MacBook desktop booting up.

"One more time", Caleb said optimistically.

"You're doing better", Ryan echoed as I looked up to him. I wanted to shout,'Don't lie to my face'. I put myself in this situation. It wasn't anyone else's fault but mine. "Let's start with an easier prompt?"

It didn't matter if the prompt was a kindergarten story. I seem to find a way to die before we even hit the halfway point.

"You know the story Little Red Riding Hood. Let's try that one?" Caleb suggested.

Flynn started the story,"There was once a girl that lived in a wood".

Caleb continued,"Her mother loved her so very much".

"And the girl loved her mother and grandma", Ryan added.

My turn. The best way for me not to mess up things is to keep it as short as possible,"One day the girl was given a task?"

"No", Ryan was quick to interject,"Don't leave it so open-ended. If we went back to Flynn he could say you were given the task of slitting your wrist or throat".

"Okay... I got it. One day she was playing outside the house and she was called inside by her mother".

"That good", Caleb praised.

"The mother told her daughter she needed to go take her grandmother a basket of food", Flynn continued.

"The girl agreed. For her grandma was old and lived just on the other side of the small wood", Caleb said.

"She grabbed her red cloak her grandma had given her and the basket of goodies for Grandma", Ryan added.

Before I could even add my part Flynn spoke up,"Think before you walk out the door what should you know?"

"I grab a knife? For protection?" I prayed was right.

"Yes", Flynn said with a sigh of relief and continued the story,"Your mother smiles and with a chuckle tells you you don't need the knife".

"The mother had heard from a huntsman that the wolf in these woods was killed months ago", Caleb announced.

"The girl puts the knife back. Trusting her mother's wisdom", Ryan spoke.

"But the girl had an instinct to pick back up the knife and put it in the basket without her mother knowing".

"Yay! You survived the opening", Ryan cheered.

"Now, into the woods", I said sitting up knowing this part was going to get harder.

"Just remember your choices affect the story more than ours. You have to use your imagination to think bigger. That's the whole point of the game. Ryan that was good practice with putting the knife back and then Evelyn even better because you decided to pick it back up", Caleb said trying to be encouraging.